What is the audit committee?

It is largely accepted that all companies need able management. But in any board system it is important to have an appropriate balance of power such that no single individual, or group, has unfettered control of the company. Our purpose is to describe the elements of good corporate governance, but we will focus on the role of audit committee in a company. The paper considers the fundamental relationships and obligations between company boards (including audit committee), auditors, shareholders and other stakeholders as key to an effective corporate governance system.audit committee, corporate governance, internal control, auditors

Chaos Based Cryptographic Pseudo-Random Number Generator Template with Dynamic State Change

This article presents a configurable, high-throughput pseudo-random number generator template targeting cryptographic applications. The template is parameterized using a chaotic map that generates data, an entropy builder that is used to periodically change the parameters of the map and a parameter change interval, which is the number of iterations after which the entropy builder will change the generator’s parameters. The system is implemented in C++ and evaluated using the TestU01 and NIST RNG statistical tests. The same implementation is used for a stream cipher that can encrypt and decrypt PNG images. A Monte-Carlo analysis of the seed space was performed. Results show that for certain combinations of maps and entropy builders, more than 90% of initial states (seeds) tested pass all statistical randomness tests. Also, the throughput is large enough so that a 8 K color image can be encrypted in 2 s on a modern laptop CPU (exact specifications are given in the paper). The conclusion is that chaotic maps can be successfully used as a building block for cryptographic random number generators

Versatile layered depth video coding based on distributed video coding

International audienc

Grape Pomace Polyphenols as a Source of Compounds for Management of Oxidative Stress and Inflammation—A Possible Alternative for Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs?

Flavonoids, stilbenes, lignans, and phenolic acids, classes of polyphenols found in grape pomace (GP), were investigated as an important alternative source for active substances that could be used in the management of oxidative stress and inflammation. The benefic antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions of GP are presented in the literature, but they are derived from a large variety of experimental in vitro and in vivo settings. In these in vitro works, the decrease in reactive oxygen species, malondialdehyde, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances levels and the increase in glutathione levels show the antioxidant effects. The inhibition of nuclear factor kappa B and prostaglandin E2 inflammatory pathways and the decrease of some inflammatory markers such as interleukin-8 (IL-8) demonstrate the anti-inflammatory actions of GP polyphenols. The in vivo studies further confirmed the antioxidant (increase in catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase levels and a stimulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase -eNOS gene expression) and anti-inflammatory (inhibition of IL-1𝛼, IL-1β, IL-6, interferon-𝛾, TNF-α and C-reactive protein release) activities. Grape pomace as a whole extract, but also different individual polyphenols that are contained in GP can modulate the endogenous pathway responsible in reducing oxidative stress and chronic inflammation. The present review analyzed the effects of GP in oxidative stress and inflammation, suggesting that it could become a valuable therapeutic candidate capable to reduce the aforementioned pathological processes. Grape pomace extract could become an adjuvant treatment in the attempt to reduce the side effects of the classical anti-inflammatory medication like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)

Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Actions of Polyphenols from Red and White Grape Pomace in Ischemic Heart Diseases

Grape pomace (GP) represents a very reliable source of polyphenols because it could be found globally as a remnant of the wine industry. During the winemaking process, two types of GP are generated: red GP and white GP, according to the produced wine, red or white. Grape pomace represents a viable source of polyphenols, mainly flavanols, procyanidins anthocyanins, and resveratrol which possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Multiple differences were observed between red and white GP in terms of their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity in both in vitro and in vivo studies. Although most studies are focused on the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect of red grape pomace, there are still many variables that need to be taken into consideration, as well as extensive study of the white GP. It was observed that in both in vitro and in vivo studies, the GP polyphenols have a direct antioxidant activity by acting as a free radical scavenger or donating a hydrogen atom. It also possesses an indirect antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity by reducing mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, malondialdehyde (MDA), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1-beta (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF- κβ), and inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa-B kinase subunit beta (Iκκβ) levels or nitrate oxide-4 (NOX4) expression and by increasing the levels of antioxidants enzymes like superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) glutathione reductase (GRx) and glutathione peroxidase(GPx). Besides these activities, many beneficial effects in ischemic heart diseases were also observed, such as the maintenance of the ventricular function as close as possible to normal, and the prevention of infarcted area extension. In this context, this review intends to present the actual knowledge of grape pomace’s potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity in ischemic heart disease, knowledge gathered from existing in vitro and in vivo studies focused on this